Countdown to kickoff: No. 4 Clemson at Wake Forest

Fourth-ranked Clemson can clinch the ACC’s Atlantic Division Championship and a berth in next month’s ACC Championship Game on Dec. 3 with a victory at Wake Forest on Saturday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m., and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

The Tigers are coming off their first loss in two years thanks to Pitt’s stunning one-point victory in Death Valley last week. The Demon Deacons are also coming off a loss, losing at No. 5 Louisville. Wake Forest actually led that game by two points with 11 minutes to play in the game.

About Wake Forest: Wake faces the No. 4 team in the country for the second week in a row after facing fifth-ranked Louisville on the road last week. Wake Forest is looking for its second all-time win over a Top-5 ranked team and its first since 1946. The Demon Deacons are coming off a 44-12 loss at Louisville. Mike Weaver booted four first-half field goals to give Wake Forest a 12-3 halftime lead before the Cardinals rallied in the second half for the win.

Wake Forest’s offense: The Demon Deacons are again struggling on offense as they rank 123rd nationally in total yards (319.7). They also rank 118th in scoring offense at 20.4 points per game, while they are 90th in rushing (154.9) and 113th in passing (164.8).

Wake Forest’s defense: Wake ranks third in the ACC with 32 sacks, while the defense overall is allowing 381.8 yards per game, including 229.4 through the air. They rank fourth in scoring defense (21.0), which ranks 22nd nationally. Wake Forest has been led in tackles in each game this season by either Marquel Lee or Jessie Bates. Bates led the Deacons in tackles at Louisville with 13, including a forced fumble.

Stat worth noting: This marks the third time in the last four years Clemson has been a Top-5 ranked school when meeting Wake Forest. The Tigers were No. 3 in 2013 and No. 1 in 2015. Wake Forest is 0-12 when facing the AP No. 5 team, last falling to No. 5 Louisville last week. The Deacons are 0-7 vs. the Coaches Poll No. 5 team ranked team, dropping a 41-24 decision at Florida State in 2005.

Second stat worth noting: Clemson owns 63 wins over Wake Forest in history, its second highest victory total over any opponent. Clemson has 67 wins over South Carolina. Fifty-three of those wins against Wake Forest have taken place since the ACC was formed in 1953. Clemson is 36-7 against Wake Forest in games played in Clem­son and is 31-7 in Death Valley in the series that dates to a 13-0 Clemson win in Charlotte in 1933.

Third stat worth noting: Clemson has a 53-9-1 lead in the series since 1953 or since the formation of the ACC, a .849 winning percentage. Clemson has played Wake Forest in football 63 consecutive years, as the last year the two schools did not play was 1952. The two schools are in the same division in the ACC, so they will continue to play annually. Only South Carolina has a longer string of consecutive seasons played against the Tigers.

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